You have to wonder why Chris Rock chooses some of his pictures. Death at a Funeral might be a noble effort but fails in a variety of ways to capture the original's clever and offbeat humor. If that seems like an unfair criticism by comparing it with the original, then it fails to be funny on its own terms.
Death at a Funeral is about a family's struggle to deal with the loss of one of their loved ones. Chris Rock is Aaron, the insecure want to be writer who recently lost his father. He is married, a tax accountant and trying to have a baby with his wife. Martin Lawrence is Ryan, his younger brother who enjoys the bachelor life and is a successful novelist in New York City. Ryan comes back home for the funeral and while his brother struggles with the financial burden and organization of the funeral, Ryan is more focused on hooking up with a hot young thing. The two brothers argue about money, who should give the eulogy, writing, and family responsibilities.
There is also Aaron's cousin, Elaine (the oh so beautiful Zoe Saldana) who is nervous about telling her father that she is engaged and pregnant to drug induced Oscar (James Marsden). Luke Wilson is Derek trying to win Elaine back. Tracy Morgan is Norman, the fat friend adding absurdity to any situation. Danny Glover is the angry Uncle Russell and Peter Dinklage is Frank, the former gay lover of Aaron and Ryan's father.
A whole bunch of shenanigans ensue, starting with misplacement of the deceased, a couple of hallucinogenic highs and blackmail. Humor is supposed to surround these antics but most fall short except for Marsden who takes takes acid thinking it was a Valium in an attempt to relieve his anxiety. Much of the humor is poorly timed. Many of the actors never seem comfortable or able to make the subtle humor funny. Poor and choppy editing also disturbs the flow making the some of the punchlines stand alone, causing them to fall flat.
The movie is very brave in casting the actors against type. Chris Rock as the straight man? Martin Lawrence as a ladies man? James Marsden playing a straight laced guy on a drug high? Owen Wilson as an arrogant stock broker? The only one that succeeds is Marsden. As funny as Rock can be and he can be very funny, he is still trying to find his straight man ability. Chris Rock has been acting in movies for almost 20 years and still has yet to find his breakout comic performance. Eddie Murphy had Beverly Hills Cop. Jim Carrey had Ace Ventura. Will Pharrell had Anchorman. It seems hard to pin point a huge comedic success for Chris Rock on the silver screen. Are films like this, a remake of an English Comedy, along with other films like Down to Earth (remake of Hollywood classic Heaven Can Wait) and I Think I Love My Wife (remake of French classic Chloe in the Afternoon) attempts to show audiences that Chris Rock is more than his upfront and aggressive humor portray? I think so. Is Chris Rock like every other comedian, trying to prove he can act as well as be funny? Probably. Is he successful? No, not really but you have to admire his desire to be more than just a comedian. Adam Sandler knows a little bit about this too.
Death at a Funeral fails in several ways. It isn't that funny. Marsden and Morgan provide some laughs but not enough to keep the film from dragging. Poor editing and a lack of direction fail at creating what kind of film Death at a Funeral could be. Is it slapstick? Is it a family comedy? Is it all that and more? In the end, it is none of these things. In the end, Aaron (Rock) learns something but we aren't exactly sure what. In the beginning of the film, he seems like a perfectly good guy, a good husband and son, a want to be writer with some confidence issues. In the end, he discovers his confidence but the viewer never witnesses his lack of ability to understand his growth as a writer. Ryan, his brother seems to learn nothing and Elaine learns to stand up to her father out of must have circumstances rather than choice.
In conclusion, Death at a Funeral is nothing but disappointing.
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